Answer by riverrat15322
NO they make all kinds of promises but after you get hurt they try to say it did not happen or we did not say that and have some forgen dr. who does not give at shi. about the vets all they want is they bonus at the end of the year which the gov. gives out big money but the vet gets shit on. how i know iam a vet
Answer by laukaiti5
I have been in the Veterans Administration system as a patient since 2004. Before that, I spent 22 years in the Air Force as both enlisted and officer, and am now a civilian employee of the same. It took 7 months from my date of separation to get my disability rating from the VA. I was a medical discharge, so I did not qualify for on-base care. I had to pay for health insurance out-of-pocket, which was +/- $ 2400.00 per quarter. In the mean time, I looked for work. Since I did not know when I would actually be separating due to the uncertainty of the medical discharge process, I could not tell prospective employers when I could start. This put a real crimp in my income as well as draining my savings. After the 7 months passed, during which I would either be granted or denied access to treatment based on the disability percentage assigned by the VA, I was able to access the healthcare needed to function each day. I still had to purchase private insurance for my family at the same cost because I COULD NOT exclude my conditions or myself.
I feel I was lucky enough to get a decent provider and had a great Veterans Service Organization (the Disabled American Veterans or DAV) represent me through the administrative process. I was given a VA rating, and even though it is a 3 hour drive each way to get to appointments, I can function in a more predictable manner. That said I have had to fight each step of the way to get the VA to perform tests that would be obvious to private providers. In addition, the providers at the VA do not exactly talk to one another; they read the system all data is entered into. In the end, if you do not or cannot advocate for yourself, you stand a good chance of being misdiagnosed or not treated at all for the appropriate condition. This can lead to long-term effects in the quality of life of the Veteran. Most that cannot advocate for themselves end up depending on relatives or on the streets, as was the case of my brother-in-law. After several years, the VA finally admitted him, gave him what he needed, and now assists in his daily living. If you search the subject, you will find many references to the "unseen wounds" Veterans walk around with. In my opinion, we are told early on to "suck it up" and keep moving, regardless of how we feel. "Service before self" is a way of life, until your best years are used up, and the remaining years of pain are spent fighting a different, administrative fight. For most, if it was not for the Veteran Service Organizations (DAV, VFW, etc.), the Veteran would simply give up, and hope for the best. The noisy Veterans seem to make the most waves and appear to be quite demanding, yet their actions yield the most rewards for us all. God bless ALL Americans, not just her Veterans.
Orignal From: is the government doing enough for veterans mental health issues?
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